Let me share with you a few of my favorite quotes on BELIEF. “Our beliefs are the seeds of action”. “It is essential for success that a person believe, but absolutely critical that one take action on those beliefs”. “Belief doesn’t sell; it provides the motivation to sell”. “Belief is the foundation of all that is good and great”. “The monuments of personal achievement are built on the bedrock of belief.”

Now I’ll spend a few minutes talking about each of the three beliefs necessary for sales success and how to leverage those beliefs to increase your sales, and then I will conclude with a story of belief that has changed the world.

1. Belief In Self: Another word for this belief is confidence. When you feel sure of your abilities, you will sell with confidence. Confidence is contagious and is often confirmed when the prospect emotionally buys into what the sales person is saying. When a salesperson comes to the personal realization that they can do what it takes, they have come of age. I had a salesperson tell me one time that he could sell ice to Eskimos. Even though I don’t agree with that statement, I believe that sales person could do what he said. He believed in himself, his talents, skills, his determination and his desire. If you don’t believe in yourself, nothing else matters.

2. Belief In Company: Salespeople must believe that the company they work for will support them in their sales activities. They must believe that the company will be there for their customers. They must feel that the customer is the most important person in their employer’s world. The company must support the salesperson in that belief. They must demonstrate their willingness to go beyond what is expected to service the needs of the customer. When salespeople believe in their company and the people that stand behind it, they can create miracles in the world of sales. That belief fuels their belief in themselves.

3. Belief In Product: No salesperson has ever been ultimately successful selling a product they didn’t believe in. Their success was short lived, fleeting, and eventually led to failure. You will never consistently convince a prospect of the value of a product if you are not convinced yourself. When you truly believe in the value of your products and services, they will almost sell themselves. Your belief will generate confidence, which will fuel enthusiasm, which will promote interest, which will lead to sales. When the prospect senses your belief in the product, that belief promotes trust in you and that trust is what sales are made of. All three beliefs work together to create sales success.

To conclude, I’ll share with you a profound, yet simple story about belief that has influenced the lives of millions. Platt & Munk first published this story in 1930. The history and origins of the story are clouded. I heard it for the first time when I was very young, maybe you have heard or read the story yourself – The Little Engine That Could. The belief generated by this little story is powerful enough in principle to influence the success of every salesperson. It goes like this:

Chug, chug, chug. Puff, puff, puff. Ding-dong, ding-dong. The little train rumbled over the tracks. She was a happy little train for she had such a jolly load to carry. Her cars were filled full of good things for boys and girls.

The little train was carrying all these wonderful things to the good little boys and girls on the other side of the mountain. She puffed along merrily. Then all of a sudden she stopped with a jerk. She simply could not go another inch. She tried and she tried, but her wheels would not turn.

What were all those good little boys and girls on the other side of the mountain going to do without the wonderful toys to play with and the good food to eat?

“Here comes a shiny new engine,” said the funny little clown who jumped out of the train. “Let us ask him to help us.”

“Please, Shiny New Engine, won’t you please pull our train over the mountain?

But the Shiny New Engine snorted: “I pull you? Indeed not!” And off he steamed to the roundhouse.

Then the little clown called out, “The Passenger Engine is not the only one in the world. Here is another engine coming, a great big strong one. Let us ask him to help us.”

But the Big Strong Engine bellowed: “I am a Freight Engine. I won’t pull the likes of you!” And the Freight Engine puffed off indignantly to the roundhouse.

“The Freight Engine is not the only one in the world. Here comes another. He looks very old and tired, but our train is so little, perhaps he can help us.”

“Please Kind Engine,” cried all the dolls and toys together. “Won’t you please pull our train over the mountain?

But the Rusty Old Engine sighed: “I am so tired. I must rest my weary wheels. I cannot pull even so little train as yours over the mountain. I can not. I can not. I can not.”

And off he rumbled to the roundhouse chugging, “I can not. I can not. I can not.”

“Here is another engine coming, a little blue engine, a very little one, maybe she will help us.”

The very little engine came chug, chugging merrily along.

“What is the matter, my friends?” she asked kindly.

“Oh, Little Blue Engine,” cried the dolls and toys. “Will you pull us over the mountain? Please, please, help us Little Blue Engine.”

“I’m not very big,” said the Little Blue Engine. “They use me only for switching trains in the yard. I have never been over the mountain.”

“But we must get over the mountain before the children awake,” said all the dolls and the toys.

Then she said, “I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.” And she hitched herself to the little train.

She tugged and pulled and pulled and tugged and slowly, slowly, slowly they started off.

Puff, puff, chug, chug, went the Little Blue Engine. “I think I can–I think I can–I think I can–I think I can–I think I can– I think I can– I think I can– I think I can– I think I can.”

Up, up, up. Faster and faster and faster and faster the little engine climbed, until at last they reached the top of the mountain.

And the Little Blue Engine smiled and seemed to say as she puffed steadily down the mountain, “I thought I could. I thought I could. I thought I could. I thought I could. I thought I could. I thought I could.”

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The Business Performance Group is a Salt Lake City based sales training and consulting firm.